Gone But Not Forgotten
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Seto Kaiba is apparently killed in a violent car crash . . . but is he really dead? This is NOT yaoi! Kind reviews are always welcome!


Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Gone But Not Forgotten  
By Lucky_Ladybug  
  
  
Notes: As always, the characters aren't mine (except for the girl at the end!), and also as always, this ISN'T yaoi! Thanx to JP for his plot help! ^_~  
  
  
The car crash was devastating. A semi had collided with a taxi cab on the highway about twenty miles outside of Domino City, resulting in a six-car pileup with everyone involved either in critical condition or . . . dead. A gasoline spill had resulted in the complete destruction of several of the vehicles, including Seto Kaiba's limo.  
  
Yugi and his friends were just cleaning up the dinner dishes at Yugi's home above the game shop when they heard the news on the TV.  
  
"Medics at the scene have found Mr. Kaiba's chauffeur, who was thrown from the vehicle upon impact with the car in front of them, but there has been no sign of the young businessman himself," the reporter announced. "More than likely, Mr. Kaiba was in the limo when it burst into flames, and therefore . . . is no longer among the living," she finished sadly. "There is no way he could have possibly survived."  
  
The five teens gasped.  
  
"No way!" Joey exclaimed. "Kaiba can't be dead . . . just like that. . . ."  
  
"Unreal," Tristan remarked. He paused. "I wonder what'll happen to Mokuba now," he said finally.  
  
"Man, that poor kid . . ." Joey shook his head.  
  
"How tragic . . . for the both of them," Bakura said softly.  
  
Tea sank into the soft couch, feeling numb. "Poor Kaiba," she whispered. She couldn't believe the aloof, independent boy was really . . . gone.  
  
Yugi felt the same way. He hung his head, feeling the tears come to his eyes. ~Why, Yami, why?~ he asked in distress.  
  
**Tragic things happen in this life, Yugi. You know that,** Yami Yugi replied solemnly.  
  
~Yes, I know, but . . . Why Kaiba? He's just young . . . he has his brother to take care of . . .~ Yugi trailed off, tears streaming down his face.  
  
The door opened and a sad, still little figure stood there, his gray eyes full of despair.  
  
"Mokuba!" everyone gasped.  
  
The little boy came in, clutching the locket he always wore around his neck. "Why, Yugi?" His body shook with sobs. "Why?!"  
  
Yugi didn't know what to say. "Mokuba . . . I'm sorry . . . So sorry. . . ." The Millennium Puzzle glowed as Yugi summoned his Yami. Tenderly Yugi knelt down next to Mokuba and took the grief-stricken boy into his arms, letting him cry on his shoulder.  
  
"He . . . he can't be gone. . . . He . . . he just *can't* be!!" Mokuba wailed. "It's . . .it's impossible!"  
  
Yugi felt the tears again prick his eyes, his heart breaking for this poor, innocent boy who had just lost the only family and the best friend he'd ever had. The others, even Joey, were finding their eyes moist as well. It was a terrible tragedy, and not likely one that any of them would get over any time soon.  
****  
Far away from this somber, mournful scene, deep in a decrepit, brown field of weeds lay a still, motionless body. Blood trickled from a wound over his right temple as a soft wind gently tousled his brown hair and a cold rain started to fall. This was the boy thought dead by everyone in Domino City—Seto Kaiba, the high-school age corporate executive officer and president of the Kaiba Corporation—but more important, the beloved older brother to Mokuba Kaiba. Seto Kaiba was, in fact, not dead but unconscious, and had been for many hours, ever since he had jumped out of his limo just before it had gone up in flames. The boy had fallen down the ravine that was just off the highway, where he had hit his head hard at the bottom and had been rendered senseless.  
  
Now his hand slowly moved and he let out a soft moan as he finally began to return to awareness, partially due to the rain's cold touch, but due more to his own determination to revive. His blue eyes fluttered open and he blinked in annoyance when raindrops landed playfully upon them. For a while he lay there, quiet and still, trying in vain to remember what had happened, and why he was laying at the bottom of the incline, and then he slowly sat up, looking around confusedly.  
  
He raised a hand to rub his aching head and it came away red with blood. He looked at the blood in irritation and fished around in his pocket for a white handkerchief to press against the wound.  
  
That's when he suddenly became aware that he was clutching a briefcase in his other hand. Was it his? Somehow he had the feeling that it wasn't. But then . . . who did it belong to, and why did he have it?!  
  
Awkwardly he opened the briefcase with one hand while holding the handkerchief over his injury with the other. He gasped at the contents inside the valise. Money . . . and lots of it. Where had it come from? Was he . . . he wasn't . . . a thief . . . was he? No . . . he was an honest person . . . he was certain of that.  
  
He removed the handkerchief and found that the cut had finally stopped bleeding. He'd have to get it properly cleaned and bandaged when he could find a first aid kit.  
  
Shakily he stood up and looked around again. Where was he? Why was he there? And . . . who was he? He could recall only a few scattered memories—his first name was Seto, he was skilled with computers, and he had a brother whom he loved more than anything else. Everything else was a blank. He didn't know where he lived, who his friends were (if he even had any), or where he worked. Right now he wanted to get that wound cleaned up and then he would try to piece the mystery together about who he was.  
  
Slowly he stumbled out of the weed field and down the deserted road. It looked like an all-night pharmacy was up ahead. He wondered what those inside would think when he staggered in, dizzy and bleeding. He smirked wryly at the thought.  
  
Is someone following me? he wondered suddenly, and he whirled around. No one was in sight, but Seto still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was there. "You'd better watch it!" he yelled into the darkness. "I'm skilled in the martial arts, and if you try to mug me, I'll drop you where you stand!" It wasn't an idle threat, either. Seto *did* have a mastery of karate and judo, but he wasn't sure how he knew that.  
  
Before long he had reached the pharmacy and he pushed the door open. A middle-aged woman was cleaning the counter and she hadn't seemed to hear Seto come in. "Excuse me . . ." the boy began, trying to get her attention.  
  
She looked up, stared at him, and screamed.  
  
Seto winced. "I know I must look a mess, but . . ."  
  
The woman shook her head. "No! No, it's not that! You're . . . you're . . . Well, you're DEAD!" she finally blurted out.  
  
Seto took a step back, stunned. His eyes narrowed. "What?! What do you mean I'm dead?!"  
  
Shakily the woman handed him the newspaper. Seto took it and stared at the headline. TRAGIC PILEUP KILLS THREE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE YOUNG CEO OF THE KAIBA CORPORATION, he read silently. Was he the CEO, or one of the other two? One thing he knew—it would be better not to let this woman know that he had almost total amnesia.  
  
"You . . . you were killed when your limo exploded," the woman ventured bravely.  
  
"Well, as you can see, I'm not dead," Seto muttered. "But how did you know who I was when I came in?"  
  
"Oh . . . well, I've . . . I've seen you on the television," the woman replied, still looking somewhat terrified.  
  
Seto's expression softened. "I'm not going to harm you," he said gently. "I just want some answers."  
  
The woman blinked, seeming to notice the gash on the boy's right temple for the first time. "Oh . . . oh, you poor boy. You're hurt! Here." She handed him a disinfectant pad and some bandages.  
  
Seto nodded in thanks and turned to the mirror in the back of the room. After cleaning and dressing the wound, he brushed his long bangs over the bandage to hide it and turned back to face the woman.  
  
"Is there anything I can do for you?" the woman asked.  
  
Seto nodded. "Forget you ever saw me. Don't tell anyone I'm still alive." He turned to leave.  
  
"But . . . but why?!" the baffled woman asked.  
  
"I can't explain right now." Seto grabbed the doorknob. "Just promise me you will do as I ask."  
  
"Oh . . . of . . . of course I will," the woman stuttered.  
  
Seto paused. "Where's the nearest town from here?"  
  
"Oh . . . Domino City, twenty miles north," the woman replied.  
  
Seto nodded in acknowledgment and went out the door. Outside he studied the article in more detail, trying to find some clues to his identity. He decided that he must be the CEO they had mentioned—Seto Kaiba—but other than that, he hadn't found any other information about himself.  
  
What was he going to do? Perhaps he would find some clues in the mysterious briefcase, he thought, and so he went around to the back of the building and again slowly opened it. Again he stared at the large sum of money inside and again he wondered what he was doing with it. Was he on the run from someone? If so, who?  
  
After a thorough examination of the valise, Seto discovered the initials "A.C." engraven at the top. He hadn't noticed them before because his attention had been divided between looking in the briefcase and getting the gash on his head to stop bleeding.  
  
Now he also noticed something else odd. The back of the lid seemed too loose for normal. Was it a false bottom? Carefully Seto tugged on the backing, and sure enough, it quickly came loose, revealing several documents and a odd-looking note.  
  
Seto looked at the note first. His eyes narrowed in anger when he read it. It was written with a red-inked pen, making it seem all the more eerie.  
  
The kid knows too much.  
Get rid of him—permanently.  
  
The writer of the note was talking about him—he knew it. But what was this note doing in the briefcase, and what were these documents?  
  
Suddenly Seto heard a rustling sound behind him and he quickly shut the briefcase. Someone was there. He'd have to look at the documents later. "Who are you?!" he demanded. "What do you want?!"  
  
An evil laugh ricocheted around him and a man dressed in a business suit and sporting dark shades stepped out. "I didn't expect to ever see you alive again," he sneered. "My boss will find this intriguing."  
  
"Oh yeah? And why would your boss care? Does he want me dead?" Seto's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Enough talk. You're comin' with me!" the man growled threateningly, reaching to grab Seto.  
  
The boy's reaction was instantaneous. He elbowed the man in the chest and then grabbed the front of his jacket and flipped him over. Before the startled thug had a chance to react, Seto was gone, disappearing into the darkness. He wasn't sure how he was going to get to Domino City from this isolated area, but he knew that somehow he had to. He also knew that he had to be very careful—anyone he met might be out to kill him.  
  
After he had been running for what seemed like ages, he spotted a freight train on the train tracks, preparing to leave. Cautiously he crept closer, hoping to find out where the train was headed.  
  
"This sure is a nice train," he heard someone comment as they passed by, stopping to admire the sleek machinery.  
  
"You got that right," one of the train's crew members agreed. "This baby has been going to Domino City from down south every day for years, and she's still running like clockwork!"  
  
Seto smirked. Bingo, he thought. Now to get onboard.  
  
Stealthily he moved over near the back of the train and climbed into the caboose, just as the train started moving. Too easy, he thought, glancing around the dark car. He had the feeling that things were about to get very rocky again.  
  
Sure enough, he was only too right.  
  
"So, Seto Kaiba, you've returned from the dead," a tough voice laughed from somewhere in the shadows. "The boss had a feeling you might try getting on this train."  
  
Seto tensed, trying to figure out from which direction the voice was coming. "You'll never take me alive," he uttered forcefully.  
  
"Oh, I don't intend to, Kaiba," the voice growled, and Seto heard the familiar click of a revolver. At the same moment, Seto figured out that the man was now standing right beside him, and so he whipped around, using the briefcase as his weapon. The man grunted in pain as the valise slammed into his gun arm, sending the deadly pistol flying across the caboose. Both of them leaped for it at the same time, and they both wound up clutching it frantically. They fell to the floor, each struggling to get control of the weapon, which then fired harmlessly into the ceiling several times. "Give up, you brat," the man hissed angrily.  
  
"I will never give up!" Seto replied fiercely.  
  
Their violent struggle eventually took them out on the caboose's platform, a fall from which almost certainly would mean serious injury or death. The man shoved Seto to the floor viciously with one hand, trying to shock the boy into loosening his grip on the gun, but to no avail. Seto fought back just as viciously, and then, suddenly, he had the gun. He closed his hand around it tightly and, standing up, pointed it at the thug, who angrily shot his leg out and tripped the boy, again trying to grab the gun. Seto gasped as he went down, nearly falling under the railing around the platform and off the train to his death, while the revolver went flying off into the distance. Just in time, Seto managed to grab the railing and stop his descent, but then the thug was coming at him again. Quickly Seto dodged the attack and the man went soaring overboard, crashing hard on the ground several feet away from the tracks.  
  
Seto leaned against the side of the caboose, trying to catch his breath. He could see the man getting up and screaming something at Seto that the boy was glad he couldn't hear clearly. With a sigh, he went back into the caboose and collapsed on the floor, pondering on this latest experience. So the thugs' boss knew that he was still alive. That wasn't good. They'd know he was going to Domino City and be waiting for him there.  
  
A new realization entered his mind. His brother probably thought Seto was dead. Almost everyone did, except those who shouldn't know the truth. With those thugs chasing him in the last few hours, he hadn't really been able to stop and think about this fact until now, and now that he realized it, his heart ached.  
  
Subconsciously, Seto reached under his shirt and pulled out a locket of some kind. When he clicked it open, he found a picture of the sweet, innocent boy he knew was his brother. He wrapped his fingers around it tightly. The pain that poor kid must be going through. . . . Seto knew how anguished he'd feel if he thought anything had happened to his brother. If only . . . if only there was some way he could let his brother know he was alive. . . .  
  
Seto looked at the little boy's picture again and suddenly his name came to mind. "Mokuba," he said aloud, "I'm alive, little brother! I'm alright, and I'll come home to you as soon as I can. Hang in there, kid. I love you," he whispered. If only Mokuba could hear him. . . .  
****  
Yugi had invited Mokuba to stay at the game shop for the night, and the heart-broken younger boy had agreed. He didn't want to be in the Kaiba mansion, all alone with the maids, knowing that his brother would never be coming home again.  
  
Now Mokuba lay awake in his bed in the guest room, crying uncontrollably as he stared at the ceiling. "Why, big brother? Why?" he sobbed. "Why did you have to leave me?!" He opened the locket he was wearing and stared at his brother's picture through tear-filled eyes. "I still need you, Seto! I . . . I . . ." He trailed off, breaking into a fresh set of tears.  
  
"Mokuba."  
  
The little boy gasped, sitting up in bed. It was the one voice he had longed more than anything to hear. "Seto?" he called hopefully. "Where are you, big brother?"  
  
"I'm alive, little brother!" Seto's voice echoed all around him. "I'm alright, and I'll come home to you as soon as I can. Hang in there, kid. I love you!"  
  
Mokuba sat in stunned silence for several moments and then started to cry again, but this time tears of gratitude and joy fell from his eyes. It hadn't been a dream—it was real, he knew it was real! His brother was alive! He knew a miracle had just occurred. "Don't you worry, Seto," he smiled through his tears, "I'll hang in there! I love you too, big brother!!" He knelt on the bed and sent a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving up to the heavens. "Thank You, dear God!" he whispered. "Oh, thank You!"  
****  
As the train neared Domino City, Seto tried to figure out what his plan was going to be. He couldn't let anyone find out he was alive—not yet. First he had to get to the bottom of this mystery.  
  
Seto took a close look at the money again. Something didn't look quite right about it. Carefully he removed one of the bills and held it up to the light coming from the platform outside. "It's counterfeit," the boy muttered in surprise.  
  
Remembering the documents, Seto now took time to examine them, and his mouth dropped open. They were documents from the Kaiba Corporation, the company he was supposed to be the CEO of. What were they doing in this briefcase?  
  
Suddenly his eyes narrowed. Someone must be stealing ideas from his company. He must have discovered it and then those behind the despicable acts had tried to kill him so he couldn't reveal the truth. But . . . who? And how was he going to find out?  
  
The train lurched and came to a stop. Seto quickly replaced everything in the briefcase and stood up, walking to the open doorway leading to the platform. Since it was a freight train instead of a passenger train, there weren't lots of people waiting around outside, which was a good thing since Seto didn't want to be seen.  
  
He looked about furtively but didn't see any of those thugs around. Maybe he'd be able to pull this off without any more trouble. Quietly he dove out of the caboose and vanished into the pre-dawn darkness.  
****  
"Yugi! Yugi!"  
  
Yugi was startled awake by Mokuba frantically knocking on his bedroom door. Slowly the violet-eyed boy stumbled out of bed and over to the door. "Mokuba? What's going on?" he asked as he opened it.  
  
Mokuba looked at him, clutching the locket tightly in his small hand. "Yugi, my brother . . ."  
  
Yugi's gaze dropped. "I know," he said softly. "I'm so sorry, Mokuba. . . ."  
  
Mokuba shook his head. "No, Yugi! My brother is alive! I know! He told me!" His gray eyes were shining brightly.  
  
Yugi blinked in disbelief. "What?"  
  
"I heard him, Yugi! He told me he's alive, and he's coming home soon!" Mokuba said excitedly.  
  
Yugi didn't know what to say. More than likely, Mokuba's experience had been a dream brought on by his immense longing to see and hear his brother again. Kaiba was dead. . . . Wasn't he? . . . Or . . . or was it possible that . . .  
  
"Mokuba . . . did he tell you where he is right now?" Yugi asked finally.  
  
Mokuba shook his head. "No, but he said he's okay!" He paused. "You don't believe me, do you, Yugi?"  
  
Yugi paused. "I don't know what to believe, Mokuba," he said softly, laying a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.  
  
"He's alive, Yugi!" Mokuba declared. "He really is!"  
  
Yugi sighed, then smiled at Mokuba. Maybe Kaiba really was alive . . . somehow. If he was, Yugi was certain that Mokuba would be the first to know about it.  
  
"What's going on here?" Grampa Muto asked, coming out of his own room. "Why, it must be four or five in the morning!"  
  
"My brother is alive!" Mokuba told him joyously.  
  
Grampa Muto blinked. "He is?"  
  
Yugi nodded slowly. "Mokuba says he heard Seto calling to him, Grampa," he said.  
  
"I really did!" Mokuba insisted. "He's okay!"  
  
Grampa Muto smiled. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised. That boy has always been very clever. If anyone could find a way to elude death, he could."  
****  
Joey yawned as he walked down the street, heading for Yugi's place. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night, and now this morning, Yugi had called him with some crazy story about how Mokuba was convinced that Kaiba was still alive. Poor kid, Joey thought sadly. Mokuba probably never would get over this one. For the rest of his life, he'd be sure that any day Kaiba would come back . . .  
  
Joey's train of thought was interrupted as he clanked into someone. "Eh, sorry," he said, backing up. Suddenly he gasped, staring at the person in front of him, who was regarding Joey with a very perturbed expression. "Oh man . . . oh man . . . I'm crackin' up . . ." Joey's eyes went wide.  
  
"What are you talking about?" the other boy demanded. "I don't even know you."  
  
Joey pointed a finger at him shakily. "You! You're . . . Oh man, if I'm not crackin' up, then that means you really must be alive!" He paused, blinking. "Hey, wait a minute! What do you mean, you don't know me?!" He grabbed Seto by the collar of his trenchcoat.  
  
Seto didn't know what to make of this. He grabbed Joey's hands and pried them away from his coat. For all he knew, this weird kid might be working with those that wanted him dead. It was frustrating, having most all his memories wiped from his mind. He couldn't trust anyone. "I don't know you," the blue-eyed boy repeated coldly.  
  
Joey was getting angry. "Whaddya mean, you don't know me?! I'm Joey Wheeler! Joey Wheeler!! What's the matter with you, anyway?! First you're dead. Now you're alive, but you insist you don't know me?! Hey, even back at the Duelist Kingdom, you admitted you knew me!"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Seto turned away.  
  
"Hey, man, you're really freakin' me out here!!" Joey yelled. He looked around. "Hey! Where'd you go?!" Seto had vanished.  
  
"Joey?"  
  
Joey turned around to see Tea watching him, looking utterly bewildered.  
  
"Oh man, Tea . . ." Joey ran his hands through his messy blonde hair. "Kaiba! I saw him . . . I know I did!"  
  
Tea blinked. "Huh? Joey, he's . . ."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know! But I ran into him, only he said he didn't know me or anything!" Joey said in frustration.  
  
"Joey, I think you should lay down on the couch when we get to the game shop and have a good rest," Tea declared, leading him away. Inwardly she wondered if it was at all possible that Joey was right. She didn't want Kaiba to be dead, but he couldn't be alive. Given the circumstances, it was impossible. Joey must have been seeing things, she decided.  
****  
Seto had disappeared into a nearby alley and came out the other end several minutes later. That had been a strange experience. He didn't know what to think about that Joey Wheeler guy, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had to find out what the "A.C." on the briefcase stood for, and he had an idea of just where to look—he had spotted a building called the Albert Company, and while he couldn't place his finger on exactly why, he knew the building looked familiar. If only there was some way he could investigate the place before actually going inside. . . .  
  
A brief memory flashed through his mind of a trap door in the ground . . . a secret entrance to a room . . . a room with a computer. . . . And suddenly he knew how to get there, even though he had no idea where he was going. He was skilled with computers; perhaps he could hack into the computer system at the Albert Company and find out what was happening that way.  
  
Within the hour, Seto traveled to a mansion across the city, scaled the back gate surrounding it, and then found the secret door. He still didn't know where he was at all; he could only assume that he owned the property.  
  
Now he had entered what looked like a library. Without knowing how he knew what to do, he lifted a book from a shelf and opened a panel in the wall. After going through a couple of security tests and passing them, Seto then found himself in the computer room he'd seen in his mind. Perfect!  
  
He turned the computer on and waited while it booted up. "Please state your name," it then requested in a feminine voice.  
  
"Seto Kaiba," the boy replied, grateful that he knew his name, if not much else.  
  
"It's been a while," the computer said in a chatty voice, loading up the Desktop screen. "Everyone thinks you're dead, you know."  
  
Seto blinked in surprise. "You can talk?!" he said finally.  
  
"Of course I do. Don't tell me you have amnesia!" the computer said in disbelief.  
  
"Almost completely, but more about that later. Where's Mokuba?" Seto demanded. "If you know everything that goes on around here, you must know where he is."  
  
"He's staying with Yugi Muto," the computer told him.  
  
Seto was confused. "Who?"  
  
"My, you really do have amnesia," the computer exclaimed.  
  
Seto sighed in frustration. He'd figure out who Yugi was later. "What can you tell me about the Albert Company?" he asked.  
  
"Not much, except that the company's president, Grant Albert, seems to have it in for you for some reason," the computer replied.  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. "I wonder just how much he has it in for me. Let's try hacking into his computer at the Albert Company."  
  
"You got it!" the computer agreed.  
  
Before long Seto was browsing through the Albert Company's files. He stopped when he discovered a copy of the same document that was in the briefcase was now on the screen. His eyes narrowed in vexation. "They stole this idea from me and are trying to pass it off as their own!"  
  
"Well, you did suspect that before," the computer told him. "Now it looks like you have the proof!" she said excitedly.  
  
"I think I had the proof before and that's why they tried to kill me the first time," Seto said grimly. "Now I'm going to pay that company president a little visit."  
  
After saying goodbye to the computer, Seto left the secret room and came up through the trapdoor back into the yard. Now it was dark outside, and Seto darted through the shadows to the back gate and climbed over. The Albert Company was not going to get away with their treacherous schemes, not as long as Seto Kaiba was still alive!  
****  
Tea sighed as she finished delivering the afternoon mail to the last of the offices at the Albert Company. She had taken this after-school job to get some extra money to save up so she could take the dance lessons she had always wanted to. Now she was down in the main lobby, preparing to leave.  
  
She blinked in surprise when she heard the doors open suddenly. Who would be coming in this late? It was almost six now, and almost everyone had left. Curiously she dove into the nearby shadows to watch.  
  
A teenage boy wearing a dark trenchcoat strode up angrily to the elevator and pushed the button. When he walked inside, he turned slightly and Tea could see who he was. Without meaning to, the girl let out a blood-curdling scream. It was impossible! "It . . . it can't be," she said softly when she had control of herself again. "He's . . ." She trailed off. "Maybe . . . maybe Joey really wasn't hallucinating." She brushed aside a tear of relief, then blinked in surprise. "I wonder why he came here," she mused, and decided to take the next elevator up.  
****  
Seto winced when he heard the scream through the closed elevator doors and then turned his attention to the elevator, which soon stopped at the top floor. He stepped out and strode down the hall purposefully, his blue eyes aflame with fury.  
  
When he reached Mr. Albert's door, he knocked fiercely on it. "Albert! Open up! You have a lot to answer to."  
  
An evil laugh sounded from inside and the door swung open. Mr. Albert, a middle-aged man with cold gray eyes, was sitting at his desk. He didn't look surprised in the least to see the teenager standing in front of him. "Seto Kaiba!" he purred. "You could be compared to a cat, you know. You seem to have nine lives."  
  
"You've been stealing my ideas," Seto accused in outrage, ignoring the man's remark. "And then you tried to murder me so no one would find out!"  
  
Albert didn't deny it. "Your ideas *are* mine now, Kaiba, and no one *will* find out. I'll dump your body in the river and no one will find you, either." He pulled a deadly revolver out of his pocket and aimed it at Seto.  
  
The boy had been expecting just such a move. He held up the briefcase to use as a shield just as Albert opened fire.  
  
Albert gasped when he saw the valise. "What's that?!"  
  
"I'm sure you remember it," Seto replied, opening the briefcase. "It's yours, after all. And I suppose you were going to pay this counterfeit money to your courier for bringing you some more of my company's ideas. You didn't want to pay in legal currency, did you? You wanted to keep all of that for yourself." The boy reached into the false backing and pulled out the note. "And you wrote this to deliver to your henchmen because I was becoming even more of a thorn in your side."  
  
Albert nodded. "You are much too nosy for your own good, Kaiba," he growled. "You intercepted my courier and took the briefcase before he could. When I heard about the explosion, I thought that it had gone up in flames in your limo, but I suppose I should have realized that since you survived, the briefcase most likely survived as well." He raised the gun again. "Now, enough talk. . . . Die, Seto Kaiba!"  
  
Before he could fire, he was suddenly tackled by Seto and they both fell to the floor, where they fought fiercely for control of the weapon. Without warning, the gun was soon pointed right at Seto's throat. "Say your prayers, kid," Albert hissed.  
  
Seto pushed at the man's arm, struggling to wrench it and the gun away from him. Albert fired, and the bullet lodged in the floor a hair's breadth away from Seto's neck.  
  
They grappled on the floor for what seemed like an eternity, first one getting the upper hand and then the other. Seto barely dodged another bullet—which wound up breaking the plate glass window behind him—but then was violently struck on the head with the gun's handle. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and his grip on Albert loosened as he gasped, dazed.  
  
"Now, Seto Kaiba, your days as top dog are over." Albert aimed the gun at the boy's heart. "Permanently." The gun clicked.  
****  
Tea's elevator had just stopped at the top floor when she heard the horrifying sound of a gun going off in the office down the hall. Without wasting a second she found the nearest phone, called the police and Yugi, and then rushed to the office, wondering what to do until the officers arrived. Another bullet was fired, there was a loud crash, and then everything was distressingly silent.  
  
Tea's heart pounded. Did she dare to go in? She had to, she knew. Someone might be hurt or . . . or . . .  
  
Shakily she turned the doorknob and then stood still in alarm. A man she didn't know was slumped against the wall, but Tea could see that he was definitely breathing. However, Seto Kaiba was laying facedown on the floor, and Tea couldn't tell whether he was breathing or not.  
  
The girl rushed forward and, collapsing on her knees next to the still boy, gently touched his shoulder. "Kaiba?" she whispered. "Oh Kaiba . . . please . . ."  
  
To her immense relief, Seto rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. Memories swirled through his mind. Just when Albert had been about to shoot, Seto had managed to fight the fog clouding his mind and had viciously shoved his attacker backwards into the wall. The gun had flown out of Albert's hand and landed across the room, discharging a bullet into the floor. Albert had jumped for it, but Seto was quicker and had punched him out. That was when the boy, finally overcome by the harsh blow he had taken earlier, had fainted. As his vision now focused on the girl kneeling over him, he realized—much to his surprise—that he recognized her. But then . . . did that mean that . . . all his memories had now been restored?  
  
"Kaiba? Are you alright?" Tea asked worriedly.  
  
Seto sat up shakily, rubbing his head. "Tea . . . I'm . . . I'm fine," he replied slowly.  
  
"What happened in here?" Tea demanded.  
  
"Nothing I couldn't handle," Seto said, standing up and glaring at Albert.  
  
"I . . . I called the police," Tea stammered.  
  
Seto nodded in acknowledgement and tied Albert's hands behind his back with his own tie.  
****  
Thirty minutes later, as the police were carting Albert off to jail, Seto heard a familiar voice calling his name.  
  
"Kaiba! Hey, Kaiba! Mr. I-don't-know-you!!"  
  
Seto and Tea both turned around. A remark that obnoxious could only come from one person. "I know you, Wheeler," Seto said flatly.  
  
Joey stopped and blinked. "You do? Eh, why didn't you know me earlier?!"  
  
"Hmm." Seto crossed his arms and smirked. "Maybe you met my double earlier." He wasn't particularly anxious for Joey to know that he had had amnesia.  
  
"A double who dresses exactly like you?! Somehow I don't think so," Joey shot back.  
  
Seto didn't reply to that. "Where's Mokuba?" he demanded.  
  
"Yug and the others are comin'," Joey assured him.  
  
Sure enough, just then a van driven by Grampa Muto pulled up to the curb and braked. Almost before the vehicle had completely stopped, the door was flung open and Mokuba leaped out, his gray eyes shining brightly. "Big brother!! It's you, it's really you!!!" He practically flew into Seto's arms, tears of joy flowing from his eyes.  
  
"It's really me, kid," Seto said softly and held his brother close. He felt his own eyes get a bit teary. "I'm still alive."  
  
"I . . . I was so scared, big brother . . . I . . . I thought you were really . . ." Mokuba trailed off. "But then I heard you, Seto," he declared, looking up at the older boy, "and I knew you were still okay!"  
  
"You . . . heard me?" Seto looked momentarily confused.  
  
Mokuba nodded. "Last night. You told me that you were alive and that you'd come home to me as soon as you could! And now you have, big brother! You've come back!"  
  
Seto smiled. "That's right, little brother. And I don't intend to leave ever again!"  
  
Mokuba hugged Seto tightly. "I missed you so much, Seto!"  
  
"I missed you too, kid," Seto said softly.  
  
Yugi and the others stood by, watching silently with tears in their own eyes, each one saying a prayer of thanks that this adventure had a happy ending.  
  
Unseen by any of them was a smiling girl with long, mint-green hair and kind violet eyes. Her white dress shimmered in the moonlight. "My work here is done," she said softly, turning to leave. "Aloha, Seto and Mokuba Kaiba." With that, she vanished in a bright glow of light, leaving behind a blue Hawaiian flower.  
  
"What's that, big brother?" Mokuba asked, turning to look.  
  
Seto stared at it. "It's from an old friend," he said softly, sending his own prayer of thanks up to the heavens that he and his brother were reunited at last. 


End file.
